Fertilizer-distributer.



E; M. COLE.

FERTILIZER DISTRIBUTER.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 14,1911.

SHEET 1.

D r, a

Attorneys,

Patented Oct. 7, 1913.

2 SHEETS B. M. COLE. FERTILIZER DISTRIBUTER. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14,1911.

1,074,929, Patented Oct. 7, 1913.

2 SHEETBSHEBT 2f Inventor,

Attorneys,

UNTTED STATES PATENT @FFTQE EUGENE MACON COLE, OF CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA.

FERTILIZER-DISTRIBUTER.

Application filed June 14, 1911.

This invention relates to an improvementin fertilizer distributers.

The primary object of said invention is to provide a distributing device which while intended to distribute guano or other fertilizer will be equally adapted to distribute seed.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine. Fig. 2 is a top plan view. Fig. 3 is a section transversely through the distributing mechanism on line 33 Fig. 2, the scraper being removed. Fig. 4 is a detail view showing the manner of supporting the feed screw by means of which the material is fed to the top of the hopper. Fig. 5 is a top plan view of said screw supporting structure. Fig. 6 is a perspective of one of the jaws employed in supporting said feed screw, and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the device which when the set screw has reached a certain height will operate to prevent the further rotation of the same.

In the drawings, 10 and 11 designate the side beams of the distributer frame, each of said beams being provided with suitable cov ering devices 12. Supported at a point adj acent the forward end of said beams are the handles 13 and '14 which are of the usual construction. The beams are connected at their forward ends by a block 15 which supports a suitable clevis 16. Rotatably supported between the beams adjacent their forward ends is a drive wheel 17, said wheel being supported on a shaft or axle 16 the ends of which extend within bearings 18 which are formed integral with and extend at right angles to brackets 19 bolted or otherwise secured to the beams and to which the handles are secured. Arranged on said shaft is a gear 20 and secured to the beams above and to the rear of said gear is a supporting plate 21, said plate 21 being provided with an enlarged extended end portion 22 which is formed with a slot 23 which receives the supporting shaft 24 of a gear 25. This slot 23 is so disposed that large and small gears may be mounted on the shaft 24, the interchanging of the gear in Specification of Letters Patent.

- Patented @ct. Y, 1913.

Serial No. 633,093.

this point of the transmission regulating the speed of the distributing mechanism. Supported by the plate 21 are a plurality of gears 22, 23 and 24 which transmit the movement of the drive wheel 17 to a gear 25, the shaft on which said gear is mounted being embraced by the slotted arms 26 which also support the shaft on which the gear 24 is mounted. Extending transversely between the beams 10 and 11 is a supporting member 27 and on which is arranged a block 28. This block supports a bracket 29 whose body portion 29 forms a bearing surface for a rotating hopper 30, secured to the end of which are one or more bowed supporting members 31. The central portions of these members rest upon the portion 29 of the support 29, a bolt 28 passing through the portion 29 and the body portion of the member 31, and the hopper being free to rotate on said bracket. The hopper is cylindrical and is held against lateral movement by the semi-circular support 32 which partially embraces the same, the end portions of the support 32 being secured to uprights 33 which are supported by the beams and which intersect and are secured to the handles 13 and 14, at the point 33. These uprights 33 extend beyond the semi-circular support 32 to a point above the cylinder, the uprights terminating centrally of the cylinder and being connected by the spaced supporting members 34. Arranged within the hopper is a circular plate 35, which forms the bottom of the hopper. Secured centrally to said plate is a feed screw 36 which is screw threaded its entire length and which extends between the members 34. Pivotally supported by the members 34 are the screw threaded jaws 37, said jaws being pivoted adjacent their lower ends, and provided with the interiorly arranged threads 39, which when the aws are in their normal position receive the feed screw 36 advancing the same, as the screw is rotated.

Arranged on the bottom of the hopper is a gear 40 which meshes with the pivotally supported gear 25', the rotation imparted to said gear 25' by means of the drive wheel 17 thus rotating the hopper. A vertically extended rib 41 is secured to the inner wall of the hopper, said rib or key extending within a key-way formed in the circular plate or bottom 35, thus as the cylinder or hopper is rotated by means of the pinion 25, the rotation will be transmitted to the bottom of the hopper by means of the rib 41, thus the feed screw will be rotated, and by the arrangement of the screw threaded jaw members the bottom will be advanced, feeding the material upward. Secured to one of the members 34, is a stationary scraper 43. As the hopper is rotated and the material fed upward by means of the vertically movable bottom 35, this s deflects the guano or seed into a vci disposed spout ll which extends jar i with the hopper and which empties into second spout L5 which deposits the same on the ground. It will be seen that by this arrangement that an even distribution of th seed or fertilizer is secured.

The gear 25 which is in mesh with the gear 40 arranged on the bottom of the hop per is pivotally supported by the arm which are supported by the shaft on 'WliiCj. the gear 24 mounted. T he shaft on which the gear 25 is mounted is pivotally su'w ported by the arm LB of a bell crank said crank being connected with an ope ing rod 47 which passes through a br cker 4-8 which is secured to one of the bea a coiled spring 48' being interposed between the end portions of the lever 4:6 and said bracket in order to normally hold the gear in mesh with the gear which drives the httpper. It will be noted that by operating the rod 47 to compress the spring 1-8 the bell crank lever will be swung on its pivot and the gear 2 f thrown out of mesh with the gear 25 which drives the hopper. Thus the l machine may be propelled without operating the distributing mechanism. It will also be noted that the gear 25 is normally in mesh with the gear arranged on the drive peculiar mounting however per mits said gear to be thrown out of mesh with the first mentioned gear as soon as the movement of the c rive wheel is reversed, st that in backing the machine the distributing mechanism will 'not be operated.

In order to'prevent the rotation of the bottom 35 after the same has reached a cershaft. ts

tain height, a yoke a9 is employed, said yoke j embracing the aw members between Wi'llCl' the feed screw extends. This yoke is formed with a pair of downwardly extending arms 1 portions 51 of the jaws to separate the same thus preventing the further advancing of the screw.

It will be noted that by increasing the thickness of the jam nut 36 or placing a sleeve on said nut, that the operation of the aw opening yoke may be accurately timed, the feeding of the screw discontinued as soon as said sleeve or projection contacts with the downwardly extending arms 19, thus by placing along sleeve on the feed screw 36 the threaded jam nuts will be separated and consequently the advancing of the bottom 35 will be stopped before said bottom can reach a point adjacent the top of the hopper, the opening of the jaws permitting the rotation of the bottom 35 yet preventing its upward advancement.

It will be noted from the foregoing that the distribution of the seed or fertilizer may be regulated in proportion to the ground covered by interchanging the gears arranged between the bottom of the hopper and the main drive gear positioned on the shaft 16, as by a proper arrangement of the gears, the speed of the hopper, and consequently the speed of the distributing mechanism, is increased or diminished. Thus the machine may travel at a comparatively low rate of speed and the distributing mechanism be geared to travel at a high rate of speed, or the gearing may be such as to permit the rapid travel of the machine and at the same time actuate the distributing mechanism so that the same will operate slowly. In this manner the distribution of the fertilizer is accurately determined and its distribution arranged accordingly to suitvarying conditions.

It will be noted that the invention is not confined to the structure shown, as a plu rality of the scraper members L3 and a pluj rality of spouts i l may be employed, various changes being permissible in the gearing in order to drive the hopper.

lVhat is claimed is 1. In a fertilizer distributor, a necep tagle mounted fo l.,, r ot atio11, a bottom member adh pted to slide within and to rotate with the receptacle, a gQClrscrtnLmovable with said bottom, means engaged by the screw during its rotation in the receptacle for 1 shifting the screwiandthebottom vertically,

1 and a stationary spacing element extending over the receptacle.

2. In a fertilizer distributor, a receptacle mounted for rotation, 21 bottom member adapted to slide within and to rotate with the receptacle, a feed screw movable with said bottom, means engaged by the screw during its rotation in the receptacle for shifting the screw and the bottom Vertically, a stationary spout extending downwardly from the upper end of and adjacent the receptacle, and a stationary scraper above the receptacle for directing material into the spout.

3. In a fertilizer distributer, a rotary hopper, a bottom arranged within said hopper, said bottom being capable of a rotary and a vertical movement, means carried by said hopper for imparting rotary movement to said bottom, means for imparting a vertical movement to said bottom and means actuated by said bottom when at the limit of its movement in one direction to discontinue its vertical movement.

4. In a fertilizer distributer, a rotary hopper, a bottom arranged within said hopper, said bottom being capable of a rotary and a vertical movement, means carried by said hopper for imparting rotary movement to said bottom, means for imparting a vertical movement to said bottom and relatively movable means actuated by said bottom when at the limit of its upward movement to discontinue its vertical movement.

5. In a fertilizer distributer, a rotary hopper, a bottom arranged within said hopper, a feed screw secured to said bottom, a key arranged interiorly of said hopper, said bottom being formed with a key-way arranged to register with said key, means for imparting rotary movement to said hopper, to rotate and vertically advance said bottom and a plurality of pivotally supported interiorly screw threaded jaws embracing said screw.

6. In a fertilizer distributer, rotary hopper, a bottom arranged within said hopper, a feed screw secured to said bottom, a key arranged interiorly of said hopper, said bottom being formed with a key-way arranged to register with said key, means for imparting rotary movement to said hopper, to rotate and vertically advance said bottom and a plurality of pivotally supported interiorly screw threaded jaws embracing said screw and means actuated by the upward movement of said bottom to move said jaws on their pivots.

7 In a fertilizer distributer, a rotary hopper, a bottom arranged within said hopper, means actuated by the hopper for imparting a rotary movement to said bottom, a fee screw secured to the bottom, a plurality of screw threaded jaws embracing said feed screw and means carried by said bottom for releasing said jaws from said screw.

8. In a fertilizer distributer, a rotary hopper, a drive wheel, gears rotated by the shafton which said drive wheel is mounted, one of said gears being pivotally supported, a gear in mesh with said pivotally supported gear, said gear being capable of imparting a rotary movement to said hopper, a bottom arranged within said hopper, said bottom being capable of a rotary and vertical movement, a bracket arranged above said hopper, a stationary distributor supported by said bracket and a receiving spout arranged adjacent said distributer.

9. In a fertilizer distributer, a rotary hopper, a bottom arranged within said hopper, means for imparting a rotary and vertical movement to said bottom, a bracket above said hopper, a screw secured to said bottom, a plurality of screw threaded jaws pivotally supported by said bracket, a yoke embacing said jaws, said yoke being formed with downwardly extending arms arranged in the path of movement of said bottom, and a plurality of inwardly extending arms formed integral with said yoke, said arms contacting with said pivoted jaws to separate the same when said downwardly extending arms contact with said bottom.

10. In a fertilizer distributer, a hopper, a bottom arranged within the hopper, a feed screw connected to the bottom, means for rotating the feed screw, a threaded member engaged by the feed screw for shifting the screw and bottom vertically during the rotation of the screw, and means operated by the bottom when brought to a predetermined aerationfor"a ting-sect member to release thei'screw therefrom. maste s" the vertical move'n'ient' thereof.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EUGENE MACON coLE.

IVitnesses i J. A. WILLIAMS, II. F. WVOLEE.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

